What are some of the major bodies of water in Canada?

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Lake Melville in Newfoundland is the largest lake in Canada, with Amadjuak Lake in Nunavut coming in second. Canada's longest river is the Albany River, which flows from Lake St. Joseph all the way to James Bay, and the second longest river, the Severn, flows through central Ontario into Georgian Bay on Lake Huron.

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Other large lakes in Canada include Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Lake Erie in Ontario, Lake Manitoba in Manitoba, Lake Superior in Ontario, Great Slave Lake in Northwest Territories and Lake Athabasca in Saskatchewan. Large bays include Hudson Bay and Baffin Bay. Other long rivers are the Yukon River, the Ottawa River, the McKenzie River, the Peace River, the St. Lawrence River, the Athabasca River, the Fraser River and the Liard River. With all of these lakes, rivers and bays, Canada has the world's largest supply of fresh water. Canada also has many fjords, inlets, waterfalls, streams and ponds.

Besides providing sources of clean drinking water to Canada's citizens, its lakes and rivers create numerous recreational opportunities for Canadian residents and visitors. Boating and fishing are both very popular pastimes in Canada, and people come from all over the world to visit some of Canada's best sports fishing lodges.

Because it is predicated that the planet can expect to face major water shortages at some point during this century, many Canadian citizens are already concerned that their resources may be at risk from other nations who don't have ready access to fresh water. Many believe that the next wars are likely to be over water instead of over oil.

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Canada became a country on July 1, 1867. The British North America Act joined the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada. With this act, the dominion remained a British colony but was self-governing. Canada became increasingly autonomous over the next century.

Canada is not a state but rather a country that borders the United States; it has 10 provinces and three territories that are like states. The country is a parliamentary democracy, a federation and a constitutional monarchy. Canada has executive, legislative and judicial branches.

The following 13 U.S. states share a border with Canada: Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington. Most of them have land borders, but Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan share only water boundaries with Canada along the Great Lakes.